It's Just a Dance
by legallyblondex
Summary: Kendall & Jo have been friends since 5th grade. Their friendship may seem unconventional, but it's worked for them. However, will they let "just a dance" come between them, or will it help them realize what's been there all along?
1. Chapter One: October I

**Hi everyone! So, I decided to make my one-shot, It's Just a Dance, into a full story. If you want to get an idea of what this is gonna be about, I suggest you go read it. This is my first full-story on the Big Time Rush forum, so be gentle - but be honest with what you think! I really hope you enjoy it :)**

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><p><strong>October<strong>

"You're going to give me a heart attack one day. You know I have heart problems!" I said as I walked out of my bathroom, placing my hand on my chest to try to slow my heart rate. My best friend, Kendall Knight, was just casually lying down on my bed like he owned it.

"You scare too easily," he said and smirked.

"Can't you be normal and not climb through my window? They invented doors for a reason."

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked as he sat up on my bed and looked me up and down, realizing I was still in a towel. "Not that I mind, but why aren't you dressed?"

"Because I just got out of the shower," I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I would have been dressed if you didn't decide to be here. One of these days you're going to walk in on me naked."

"And that will be the best day of my life," he said as he lay back down. "Hurry up or we'll be late to school."

"Are you going to leave so I can get changed?" I asked, but he shook his head 'no' and placed his hands over his eyes.

'_He __can __be __such __a __pain __at __times,_' I thought to myself. I rolled my eyes and started to get dressed. I looked over to see if Kendall had looked, but I knew he wouldn't. We joke about things like this all the time, that's just how our friendship goes.

"I'm dressed," I said as I started to fix my hair. "If you looked, I'll hurt you."

"Promise I didn't."

"So why are you looking at me like that?"

"Can't I just admire my best friend in her uniform?" he asked as he tilted his head to look up my skirt.

"You're such a pig," I laughed. "You were in such a rush before, so let's go."

"Fine, fine," he said as he jumped off my bed and headed downstairs. I grabbed my purse and followed him down.

"Want any food before we go?" I asked as I walked toward my kitchen, where my mom was sitting at the table reading the paper. "Hi Mom, Kendall's here."

"Hi honey," she said as she put the paper down. "I don't remember letting Kendall in this morning."

"That's because you didn't," I said and saw Kendall look uncomfortable, so I let it slide this time. "I did before I went in the shower, he needed to copy homework."

"Oh okay," she said and shrugged, but a look in her eyes told me she knew I was lying. I grabbed two bags of brownies and threw one at Kendall. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

"Bye you two," my mom called out. "Oh, and Kendall."

"Yes Mrs. Taylor," Kendall said.

"If Mr. Taylor is home, use the front door next time," she said and smiled.

"Sure thing," he said and grabbed my arm to pull me out of my house.

"Someone got caught," I said in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up," he mumbled as we walked over to his car in the driveway over.

Being neighbors with Kendall was always interesting. I had moved here to Minnesota, from North Carolina, in 5th grade. Kendall, his mom, and his baby sister had come by to welcome us to the neighborhood. I was happy to find out I had a kid my age next door, he wasn't happy that I was a girl. It wasn't until the next week at school when I let him copy my homework did we become best friends.

"You're lucky my parents love you," I told him as he backed out of his driveway. "If that was someone else, my mother would have ripped you a new asshole."

"Someone else like Jett?" he asked.

"You promised you wouldn't bring him up, you jerk," I said and smacked him.

The rest of the car ride to school we didn't talk, the only noise was the radio playing. We reached school and he pulled into a spot. I go out of the car and went to walk away, but Kendall grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into my hair. "I didn't mean to bring it up."

"I know, it's fine," I said and pulled away. I looked around and saw everyone staring at us, probably trying to figure out whether we're a couple or not.

The two of us had dated back in sophomore year, when everyone was coupling up and we figured why not. We lasted a while, but we were never really a couple, at least I never thought so. Things basically stayed the same between us; except he paid for me more often and we were able to kiss without people finding it odd.

"You just never talked about what happened."

"I know, it's too soon," I said and he nodded. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a headlock. "Kendall, you ass!"

"Gonna be late," he said and laughed as he dragged me into the building. I tried to fight against him, but it was useless. He pulled me into class and we sat in the back of the room, where our friends were saving seats for us.

"Why are you pulling her like she belongs on a leash?" Stephanie asked.

"She is a woman," James said, earning a slap from both Stephanie and Camille. "Ouch!"

"Don't be a pig," Camille said.

"He just decided to manhandle me when we got out of the car, no big deal," I said and huffed as I sat down next to my best friends.

I met Camille and Stephanie in freshman year of high school since we had every class together practically. Because they were my friends, they also became friends with Carlos, Logan, and James. I met the boys back in 5th grade when I met Kendall. Unlike Kendall, they liked the idea of having a girl friend to hang out with, but I think they liked me more because of the homework.

"Speaking of pigs, what are you guys being for my Halloween party next week?" James said when he finally pulled himself away from his reflection.

"How did pigs make you think of Halloween?" I asked, completely confused.

"I don't know, maybe someone's dressing as a pig for Halloween," he said and rolled his eyes. "Back to the point!"

"I'm being a nurse and Logan's being a doctor," Camille said.

"I'm being a cop and Steph's being my prisoner," Carlos said.

"Wow, those sound like they'll get used again," I said, completely disgusted by the idea. I saw Stephanie and Logan blush, but Camille and Carlos just grinned.

"What are you being?" Stephanie asked, trying to direct the attention away from them.

"No idea," I said and shrugged.

"I'm being Hugh Hefner," James said.

"Of course you are."

"I think I'm going as a hockey player," Kendall said.

"You should be a cheerleader or a referee so you and Kendall can go together!" Camille said excitedly. She has been trying to get Kendall and I back together since we broke up because she's convinced we're meant to be.

"Um, no thanks. I don't want to partake in your role playing fantasy," I told them.

"If the seven of you in the back could refrain from voluntary verbalization until class is over, it'd be greatly appreciated," Mr. Smith said. We all turn around in our seats and sat quietly. Kendall handed me a folded piece of paper. Just because we couldn't talk doesn't mean we still couldn't communicate.

'_We __could __both __go __as __hockey __players. __I __have __a __jersey __you __could __borrow._' I looked at him and nodded before I scribbled something down on the paper and handed it back to him.

'_Sounds __good. __We__'__ll __go __together __but __it__'__ll __look __less __like __a __couple._' He gave me a small smile before he handed me the note back.

'_Wanna __talk __about __Jett __later?_' I looked at him and shook my head before I stood up and threw the piece of paper out. End of conversation.

"Jo, wait up," Kendall called down the hallway when he saw my by my locker.

"What?" I asked when he stopped in front of me.

"I'm sorry I brought up Jett again. I'm just worried since you're holding it in."

"I will tell you, I'm just not ready yet," I told him and he nodded. "On to a new subject please."

"No problem," Kendall said and smiled at his best friend.

We started walking to their next classroom together when I had to go to the bathroom. Kendall offered to take my books to class and he'd meet me in there. I walked into the bathroom and found Mercedes in there already.

"Well look who it is," she said as she glared at me.

"What's the problem, Mercedes? I came in here to pee, not to get annoyed by you," I said and rolled my eyes.

"Kendall still hanging around you?"

"Why is that relevant?"

"Poor boy must feel bad. I want him, I will have him," she said as she took a step closer to me.

"Who's stopping you? He's my best friend, not my boyfriend. Although, you're a total bitch so I'm not sure how well it'll work out."

"Just stay out of my way, Taylor," she said menacingly before storming out of the bathroom.

"Someone forgot to take her meds this morning," I said to myself as I looked at myself in the mirror and applied some lip-gloss before leaving.

I walked into class and saw that Mercedes was trying to get my seat next to Kendall. That's when I noticed two seats over in the opposite corner that was closer to our group of friends.

"Kendall, come over here," I said as I sat down. He looked over and smiled before grabbing our books and getting up, just as Mercedes sat down. I could practically see the smoke come out of her ears.

"What was wrong with those seats?" he asked.

"Didn't feel like sitting next to the ice queen over there."

"She seems nice."

"Exactly, she seems nice, doesn't mean she actually is."

"Girls," Kendall said and rolled his eyes before he turned toward James to ask him about the party.

"Mercedes saying you started with her in the bathroom," Camille said to me. "Care to tell me the real story?"

"She's just jealous I'm friends with Kendall. Don't understand what's up her butt, she started with me."

"She's psychotic," Camille said and shrugged.

The rest of the day went by quickly and soon enough, I was waiting out in the chilly October air for Kendall to get to his car.

"Took you long enough," I said as he unlocked his car and I quickly got in.

"Sorry. Carlos was rollerblading down the hallway with his hockey stick and swatting away freshman who got in his way. Had to help out with that," he said and I laughed at the image in my head of Carlos doing that.

"He's out of his mind," I said and shook my head. "Got any plans today?"

"Nope, just hanging out with you."

"Oh lovely, so you'll be watching all the Harry Potter movies with me so I can be ready for when the last one comes out on DVD next month."

"You're mental."

"Only just a little," I said with a smile as Kendall shook his head and drove out of the parking lot.

"You're so lucky you're my best friend."

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><p><strong>What'd you think? The next chapter will be out soon. I'm hoping to have regular updates with this, but I know that never happens lol. College &amp; life will just get in the way. But I won't leave you guys hanging for long. Review &amp; let me know what you thought :)<strong>


	2. Chapter Two: October II

**Hi everyone! So I'm going to try to update on a weekly basis the best that I can. So far it's working out since I have a lot of the story written. Here's the next chapter :)**

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><p>"Kendall!" I yelled as I walked into his house, through the front door like a normal person. His mom was with his sister, Katie, shopping, so the two of us were going to get ready of James' Halloween party that was tonight.<p>

"Upstairs!" he yelled back.

I walked up the spiral staircase and down the hallway, into his room. He was standing there, shirtless, digging through his drawers. I sat down on his bed after I made room for myself among the clothes thrown on it.

"Love what you've done to the place," I said, my tone thick with sarcasm.

"Glad you like it, since the mess is for you," he said as he handed me a hockey jersey. "Couldn't find the damn thing."

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble," I said as I held the white jersey up in front of me. It had Hopkins Royals printed in blue on the front, and Knight on the back with his number. "You don't have another jersey?"

"What's wrong with that one?" he asked as he started shoving his clothes back in his drawers.

"Is it a good idea for me to go there with _your_ jersey on?"

"Who gives a fuck," he said and shrugged. He forced his drawers shut and sat down next to me. "Everyone's probably going to be so drunk they won't be able to read."

"True," I said and smiled as I leaned against his shoulder. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said and kissed the top of my head before standing up, making me fall over on his bed. "Ready to get dressed?"

"Yup," I said and grabbed my bag before I walked into his bathroom.

I quickly changed out of my clothes and into a pair of shorts and fishnet stockings. I walked out of the room and Kendall whistled.

"Shut up," I told him and laughed as I sat down and began to braid my hair into pigtails.

"Finally I have a hot date for James' party."

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Do you have that black stuff to put under your eyes?"

"You mean the eye black?" he said as he picked it up off his dresser and shook his head at me since I didn't know the name.

"Yeah!" I said really excitedly. He laughed as he walked closer to me to put it on my face. He backed away when he was finished and I looked in the mirror. "Do I look intimidating?"

"As intimidating as a bunny," he said and laughed. I punched him in the stomach and he groaned. "That wasn't nice."

"You weren't nice," I said and pouted. "I'm leaving my clothes here by the way. I'll just pick them up whenever."

"They'll join the rest of the stuff you said you'd pick up whenever," he said as he motioned toward the box of stuff that was mine in the corner of his room.

"You have the same amount of stuff at my house, buddy," I told him as I sat down to pull on my boots. I stood up and twirled around. "So how do I look? Be honest."

"You look amazing. Now let's go before all the good drinks are gone," he said and grabbed my hand. He was driving to the party, but we were sleeping over James' house. We weren't stupid enough to drink and drive.

By the time we got to James' house, the party was already going strong. Kendall parked his car in James' garage and we walked into the house.

"Look who finally showed up!" Carlos said loudly, clearly already drunk. "Come party!"

Kendall grabbed the two of us drinks and then we went our separate ways. I found Camille and Stephanie sitting on the couch talking.

"You look so cute!" Stephanie said as I sat.

"Is that Kendall's?" Camille asked and I nodded. "Oh my God, that's adorable!"

"Calm down, Camille," I said and rolled my eyes at the overly excited girl. "He didn't want to wear his own hockey jersey and he only had this other one."

"I'm sure," she said, not convinced.

"I changed at his house. I saw his drawers completely emptied out on his bed and this was his only jersey."

"You changed by his house?" she said, sounding even more excited than before. I shook my head and just ignored her.

"Where's Carlos?" I asked Stephanie.

"Somewhere with James, being his wingman," she said and shrugged. "Safer for me, he flails his arms everywhere when he dances. I don't need another black eye."

"That's true," I said and laughed.

Steph and Camille went to go to the bathroom, so I decided to scan the room for the rest of the boys. I saw Logan standing in a corner talking to someone from our math class, probably about homework. James and Carlos were in the kitchen, talking to a group of girls and James was probably trying to figure out which one to take back to his bedroom tonight. The only person I couldn't find was Kendall.

I decided that I needed another drink and that I was curious to see how James was doing in the kitchen.

"Hey guys," I said to them as I walked in and received a bunch of nasty looks when I hugged them hello. "How's it going in here?"

"Fine. You know Jennifer and Mindy, right?" James said and smirked at me. He was determined to get one of these girls, and who was I to not help a dear friend of mine?

"Yes, on the cheerleading team, right?" I said and they nodded. "You know, James is one of my best guy friends. Nicest guy you'll ever meet."

"He seems really sweet," Jennifer said, clearly eyeing James.

"I think you two should get to know each other better. Carlos, why don't you get Mark over there to ask Mindy to dance," I said and nudged him in the ribs.

"Right! Mark!" he yelled, causing the poor boy in the corner to jump and almost spill beer all over the place. "Why don't you dance with Mindy? She's super hot and flexible."

"Sounds like a good time, thanks man," Mark said before going to go dance with Mindy, which left James alone with Jennifer.

"You owe me, my friend," I said as I passed him.

"You won't have to clean my house tomorrow."

"Done," I said and smiled before I grabbed another drink and walked back into the living room with Carlos.

"There you are!" Camille said as she walked toward us with Stephanie. "The wait for the bathroom was insane. This girl puked in the tub, I won't be cleaning that room tomorrow."

"I won't be cleaning at all tomorrow," I said smugly.

"What'd you do, have sex with James? He's always forcing us to clean," Camille said.

"Um, ew, no. I played wingman for him, an excellent wingman might I add," I said.

"You lucky bitch," Stephanie said.

"Anyone seen Kendall lately?" Logan asked as he walked over to us.

"Not since we got here," I said and shrugged.

"You want to dance?" Camille asked, but I knew that her and Steph would rather be alone with their boyfriends.

"No, I'm just gonna sit and try to get drunk. You guys have fun though," I said and smiled at them before they went off on their own. I walked to an empty couch and sat and watched the party go on.

"You look lonely," I heard a guy's voice say. I had expected it to be Kendall when I turned around, but it wasn't. "I'm Tyler. I think we have history together."

"If you didn't look familiar, I'd say that was a lame pick-up line" I told him and laughed. "I'm Jo."

I turned to look for Kendall again, and that's when I found him. He was dancing with this tall, blonde girl with long legs and dressed like a referee. I felt my stomach drop a little, but I couldn't place why.

"I like your costume. Not many girls come as hockey players," Tyler said, trying to make conversation. I took one last glance over at Kendall and sighed before turning toward Tyler.

"Thanks. My friends said that me and my other friend should come as something together."

"You came here with Kendall Knight?" he asked, clearly reading the name of the jersey.

"Yeah, but we're not like together. Obviously," I said and gestured over toward Kendall, who was now making out with the blonde.

"Well his loss is another guy's gain," Tyler said, trying to flirt. I laughed and smiled at him.

"You're funny," I said and he smiled.

"I've been told that a couple times."

"Well then I'll make sure not to tell you that anymore. Wouldn't want you to get a big ego."

"Yes, wouldn't want that to happen, since that would be bad," he said. I looked over at Kendall again and saw that he was still with the blonde. It was so dark in the room that I couldn't see her face so I still had no idea who it was. I felt my stomach drop a bit and I forced myself to turn away from them.

"Sure, I'll be right back," I excused myself before getting up and going upstairs to change.

For some reason, it didn't feel okay to be wearing his jersey anymore. I passed Camille and Stephanie on the way up and gave them a weary smile.

"Looks like he found his ref, didn't need me to dress up as one," I told them and they both gave me a sad look. I didn't understand why I felt so down all of a sudden.

I grabbed a few drinks before I went upstairs. I changed into my pajamas and popped a movie into the DVD player and climbed under the covers, into bed. Kendall and I were supposed to share this room since James only has three guest bedrooms, so hopefully he doesn't plan on bringing his new friend up.

It was about two in the morning when I heard the bedroom door open quietly and close. I heard someone slowly moving around the room and the weight in the bed shifted.

"Kendall?" I said sleepily.

"Yeah?" he answered. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just wanted to make sure it wasn't some random person trying to take advantage of me in the middle of the night," I said and smiled as I rolled over on my side.

"No, it's just me coming to take advantage of you in the middle of the night," he said and jumped on top of me.

"Kendall," I said, laughing as I tried to push him away. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"You've been sleeping up here since twelve. I went to look for you and Camille pointed up the stairs and she looked pissed. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you know how Camille is," I said and shrugged, even though I knew she was pissed because he was with that other girl. "I was bored and saw you were busy so I came up here to watch a movie, but I guess I fell asleep."

"Sorry," he said. "She came over to me and I figured why not. She was nice."

"Who is she?"

"Mercedes."

"Ah, yes. The Bitch of Hopkins High," I said and laughed. "I knew she would eventually find you."

"It was just a dance," he said. "Go back to sleep, Jo."

"Night," I said and closed my eyes. I felt him press a kiss to my forehead just before I went to sleep.

The next morning, I was woken up to a loud banging on the door accompanied by James screaming for all of us to wake up. Well, all of us besides me.

"I don't understand why you get out of cleaning," Kendall said as he sat up in bed and grabbed his head. "I think I drank too much."

"You? I drank my feelings up here," I said and waved toward the empty bottles on the floor. "If you could bring those downstairs by the way, you'd be a great help."

"You have feelings?" Kendall joked, causing me to throw a pillow at his face.

"I sat on the couch, talked to some kid who tried flirting with me, got hit on by someone else and almost puked on. Last night wouldn't get put into my top ten of fun parties held in the Diamond residence."

"Why didn't you stay with Camille and Steph?"

"Because they were with Logan and Carlos. It's not easy being the only girl in our group of friends without a boyfriend. I used to have Jett, but that didn't work out too well."

"Maybe if you told me I could help you figure out why it didn't go so well," Kendall said as he pulled me into his arms, causing my heart to flutter. The fluttering of the heart was definitely something new.

"No, I know exactly why it didn't go well. I'm just not ready to talk about it."

"Fine, fine," he sighed. "Sorry I didn't stay with you last night. Mercedes kind of ambushed me."

"It's okay. At least one of us had a good time. I half-expected you to bring her up here, but if you thought you were getting the bed you were sorely mistaken," I said and laughed.

"Nah, why bring her while I already had you?" he said and rolled over so he was on top of me. He let his full weight rest on my body, crushing me.

"Get off me you idiot," I said as I tried to push him off me, but failed. "I can't breathe."

"Leaving girls breathless, that's the Knight charm," he said as he rolled off of me and off the bed.

"Almost suffocating girls is the Knight charm? I'd work on that if I were you. Wake me up when you're done cleaning. I heard some girl puked in the downstairs tub, have fun with that mess my friend."

"That's just disgusting. What happened to just puking in the toilet?" Kendall groaned as he walked of the bedroom. I stretched myself out on the bed and fell right back to sleep.

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><p><strong>What did you think? Let me know by REVIEWING :) I get that sometimes you don't want to review or anything, but it let's me know how people are liking the story and what's working and what's not working. Let me know what you were thinking as you read this. <strong>

**The next chapter should be out by next week, so hope you enjoyed this one :)**


	3. Chapter Three: November I

**Hi everyone :) Thought I'd update early as a Thanksgiving gift**

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><p><strong>November<strong>

Turns out it wasn't just a dance after all. Kendall had given Mercedes his number. Texting turned to phone calls, phone calls turned to dates, and dates turned into actually dating. They were the new couple of Hopkins, and I wasn't happy.

Kendall didn't let Mercedes stop him from talking to me and hanging out, but it wasn't the same. He wasn't randomly climbing through my window anymore, and I never thought I would actually miss that.

Of course, Mercedes still wasn't happy with the fact that Kendall and I were friends, and she was constantly trying to distance him from me by spending all her time with him. He started picking her up for school, leaving me to drive by myself. He sat with her in class and during lunch. It was just new for me.

"You can't be mad at him for having a girlfriend," Camille said. "Even if she is the Regina George of this place."

"I'm not mad at him, not even close. I just miss hanging out with him."

"It was like this when you were with Jett though," she said and I agreed. I did leave Kendall a lot for Jett, but he was my boyfriend at the time.

"Yeah, and he turned out to be a total douche."

"Well Mercedes makes the evil queen from Snow White look like Mother Theresa, so I can't see that relationship lasting too long."

"Yeah, you're probably right," I said.

"Jo!" I heard a male voice call down the hallway. I turned around, hoping it was Kendall, but of course it wasn't.

"Hey Tyler," I said.

"Geez, don't be too excited to see me," he joked and I smiled.

"Sorry, just a lot on my mind. That's all."

"It's fine. You busy later?"

"No. Is this your way of asking me out?"

"Just for coffee, as friends, no big deal. I'll even make you pay for yourself," he said and winked at me.

"Well if you put it that way," I said. "That'd be great."

"Meet me by my car after school then?"

"Sure."

I watched as Tyler walked away and saw the Camille was standing there with a huge smile on her face.

"What are you smiling about, you freak?" I asked as I gave her a weird look.

"He's so adorable and you two have a date!"

"It's not a date. Honestly, I don't see him that way at all."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't hold out for Kendall, Jo. If you do, you'll let life pass you by."

"Who said I was holding out for Kendall? I'm going with Tyler after school, right?"

"You mean you've moved on from your best friend? That's disappointing," I heard someone say behind me. I turned around and it was Kendall. _Finally_, I thought to myself.

"Just as fair, seems like you've moved on from your best friend as well," I said.

"No, it just seems like Mercedes has a radar for whenever I go to talk to you because she drags me off somewhere else."

"Sounds normal," I said and shrugged.

"How is Mercedes?" Camille asked, trying to be friendly.

"She's alright."

"Well don't you sound happy," she laughed. "I'd sound a little more happy since she's on her way over here."

"You're kidding," Kendall said and rolled his eyes. "Let me be quick then. I was going to see if you wanted to hang out after school today, but since you're busy we're hanging out tomorrow. No excuses or I'll climb through your window and drag you out of your house and into mine."

"That sounds dangerous," I said and smiled. I saw Mercedes was standing behind him and only heard the last part, so I thought it'd be appropriate if I messed with her a bit. "And what will we do after you drag me into your house."

"Oh you know, take advantage of you. The usual," Kendall said and then was smacked upside the head by Mercedes. Kendall looked at me as I tried not to laugh and glared. "That was mean."

"You should know better than anyone that I'm not nice," I said and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kendall. You can bring me to school since my car's going into shop tonight."

"Bye Jo," he said before being dragged down the hallway by Mercedes.

"She's like pure evil," Camille said.

"Oh, I know."

"Mom, Dad, I'm home," I said as I walked into my house.

"Hi sweetheart," my mom said as I went into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "How was your day?"

"I've had better," I mumbled."

"Where'd you go after school?" my dad asked.

"The coffee shop with my friend," I said, the word _friend_ tasted wrong in my mouth. "Well, not really my friend anymore."

"Why, what happened?" my mom asked, but I was saved by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it," I ran quickly to the door and saw Kendall was standing on the other side. I opened it and gave him a confused look. "What are you doing here?"

"My mom's out with Katie still and I'm hungry," he said as he walked in. "Figured I'd crash on dinner."

"Where's you-know-who?" I asked as I looked outside, half-expecting to see Mercedes in a car across the street with binoculars and cursing me halfway to hell.

"Home. She thinks I'm sleeping because I told her I didn't feel well," he said and smiled. "So, what's your mom cooking for dinner?"

"Homemade meatballs and sauce," I said.

"Great, my favorite," he said. We walked into the kitchen together and he greeted my parents.

"Kendall, I haven't seen you around in a while," Mrs. Taylor said.

"Yeah, I've been busy unfortunately, but I figured I'd stop by unannounced and have dinner with you guys."

"Sure. Why don't you two go upstairs and we'll call you down when dinner's ready," my dad said. The two of us walked upstairs to my room and he plopped down on my bed.

"You're probably the only guy my dad would allow up in my bedroom without a problem," I said and shook my head as I picked up some of the clothes that were thrown all over the floor.

"No need to clean up because I'm here," Kendall said as he turned on my TV.

"Well your room makes mine look absolutely spotless," I told him as I threw the dirty clothes in my hamper. "At least from what I recall from the last time I was in your room which was three weeks ago."

"Well tomorrow when we spend the entire day together braid each others hair and having pillow fights you can see how lovely my room is," he said and I threw a pillow that was on the floor at him. "Pillow fights are for tomorrow, Josephine."

"You're such a jerk," I said as I climbed onto my bed next to him.

"A jerk that you missed oh so much that you went to replace me. How was that kid, by the way?"

"I did miss you," I said quietly as I hugged him. "Today was such a shit-show. I don't even think I want to talk about it because I'd end up reliving it."

"Oh, now you have to tell me."

"So, I sat at the table in the corner in the coffee shop and waited for him to come back with the coffee. It was fine at first, normal conversation, until he went to kiss me."

"He what?" Kendall said, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, so I had just taken a sip of my coffee and I accidently spit it out in his face. He wasn't very happy about that."

"Oh my God," Kendall said in between laughs since he couldn't hold it in anymore. "I wish I would have been there for that."

"It was so embarrassing. He yelled at me after that, then I told him I was glad I spit coffee in his face and that next time he goes to kiss a girl he should think twice."

"Poor kid."

"No! He made me walk home!"

"Why didn't you call me? I would have picked you up."

"I didn't want to interrupt your time with Mercedes."

"Please, interrupt away."

"Don't seem so happy," I said and laughed.

"Shut up," he smiled as he pulled me closer.

"Dinner's ready!" my mom called after a few minutes.

Kendall and I raced downstairs, which resulted in me shoving him into a wall and then him picking me up and carrying me to the kitchen table.

"You two are insane," my dad said as he rolled his eyes at the two of us. "Dig in."

"Don't mind if I do," Kendall said and started grabbing food. "So Mr. Taylor, how's work going?"

"Busy, a lot of paper work and getting cases together. You interested in law, Kendall?"

"I'm not sure yet. I still have that idea in my head that I'll get into the NHL," Kendall said sheepishly.

"Good luck with that," I said as I reached for the spaghetti, and was reprimanded by my mother. "I'm only kidding. He knows that I want him to make it to the NHL, I fully support his dream."

"Yes, so I can introduce you to my famous friends."

"I'm still supporting your dreams, right?" I said and smiled at him.

"You guys figure out what you're doing for next week?" my mom asked.

"What's next week?" I said.

"Thanksgiving Eve."

"Oh, right," I said, completely forgetting how close it was. "Not sure yet. We'll find something."

"Are you going to be walking in the house when your mother is waking up to start cooking again?" my dad asked and I just gave him a big smile. "Kendall, make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble this year."

"I'll try my best. Last year, it was out of my hands though."

"Hey! The girl threw up in my hair, she deserved to be punched."

"No one threw up in your hair. She slipped on your throw up and her drink spilled."

"Oh, well," I said and blushed. "Great meatballs, Mom."

"Ridiculous," was all my mom said as she shook her head at me.

The next day, I walked to Kendall's car and waited for him. I saw him walking down the parking lot with Mercedes hanging all over him.

"Hey Kendall, hey Mercedes," I said politely. Mercedes gave me a dirty look before she grabbed Kendall's face and started kissing him. I looked away the two of them and waited for them to finish.

"I have to go," I heard Kendall tell her. I looked at the couple and saw she was pissed off and he looked annoyed.

"Should I stop by your house in a little bit?" she asked and glared at me.

"No, because I already told you I'm hanging out with Jo today. I'll talk to you later," he said and got into his car. I gave Mercedes a small smile before I got into his car and watched her stomp away.

"Kendall, if it's a problem we're hanging out, I'll just go home so you could have Mercedes over," I told him. I didn't want to interfere with his relationship, even though I was happy to hang out with him without the ice queen.

"No," he said as he started driving. "We haven't hung out so we're going to today and I'm going to kick your ass in Monopoly."

"You're on," I said and laughed.

"I can't believe you're winning," he said as he threw his money on the floor. "I never lose Monopoly."

"That's because we usually play as a team. Clearly I'm the better player," I said and smirked.

"Yeah, yeah."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, and I figured this would be as good of a time as any to tell Kendall about Jett.

"So, Jett tried to have sex with me over the summer. I didn't want to and he walked out of my house and broke up with me through text message the next day," I said, keeping my eyes focused on the floor.

"He what?" Kendall said, the anger evident in his voice. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have beaten the shit out of him."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you. Will you calm down and sit?" I said as I tugged on his arm.

"He didn't force himself on you, did he?"

"No, because I punched him in the face and told him no means no."

"That's my girl," Kendall said and smiled. He walked over to me and brought me into his arms. "You should have told me sooner."

"I know. I just didn't want to talk about it, and then you started dating Mercedes so I just didn't want to make you worry."

"I'm always worried about you, Jo. You're my best friend," he said.

"Thanks Kendall," I said and hugged him tighter.

We stayed like that for a few minutes until his phone started ringing. He groaned as he looked at the caller ID that said 'Mercedes'.

"You should probably answer that."

"No, it's okay," he said and put his phone on silent. "She's pissing me off lately."

"You guys seem happy."

"We aren't," he said and laughed. "But I just don't know if I want to be happy with her."

"Who do you want to be happy with then?" I asked and he gave me a sad smile.

"Not sure yet."

"Kendall, I'm home!" Mrs. Knight said as she walked in with Katie.

"Hi!" I said as I ran downstairs to see them since it's been a while.

"Jo!" Katie said and ran to give me a hug. "You haven't been around in a while."

"Yeah, I know. The big bad bitch took my place," I said and Mrs. Knight nodded in agreement before walking into the kitchen.

"Mom doesn't like Mercedes."

"Can't imagine why she wouldn't," I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I stopped bringing her around when they were home to avoid upsetting my mom," Kendall said. "Much easier that way."

"Last time she was here, she told Mom that her cooking was terrible and that she had a five-star in-house chef that she'd give us the number to and try to cut us a deal."

"Wow," I said, completely in shock someone would have the nerve to say that to Mrs. Knight. That woman is the strongest person I know after everything life threw her way. "Well, Mrs. Knight, I happen to think you're the best cook, and I hope your cooking tonight because I'll be here for dinner."

"Thank you, Jo," she said and gave me a genuine smile. "Kendall, start bringing her around more often again, please."

"Yeah, I think I'm going to have to," Kendall said and smiled at me.

"You're girlfriend's a complete bitch. Besides my mom, your mom is the best cook. I could live off of her food and die from a food coma very happily," I said as I walked into Kendall's room and lay down on his bed.

"I drove her home after she said that," he said as he lay next to me.

"She was so out of line. Your mom is such an amazing person, Kendall," I told him as I laid my head on his chest. "Especially since she's raised you and Katie for seven years on her own."

"It's hard," he sighed. "I don't know what I'd do without my mom."

"Let's not think of that. Let's watch mindless TV," I said, knowing this subject was still touchy for Kendall. He kissed my forehead, silently thanking me for knowing him so well.

I ended up falling asleep at Kendall's and in the morning I woke up in his arms. _This__is__so__wrong,_ I thought to myself. I shook Kendall awake and he jumped out of his bed.

"Mercedes' is going to be pissed," I told him and he shrugged.

"How many fucks do I give? Zero," he told me and I laughed.

"You really shouldn't say those things. You might give off the impression that you're unhappy in your relationship with the oh-so-perfect Mercedes Griffin."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want people to think that," he said sarcastically.

"If you're so unhappy with her, why don't you break up? You deserve to be happy Kendall."

"Times like this I wish my dad was still around," Kendall said as he sat up in bed. I wrapped my arms around his waist to try to comfort him.

"He's watching over you," I said to him. "He'd be so proud of you, I know he's proud of you."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know I am, and I'm only your best friend."

"My dad would have loved you," Kendall said which made me smile. "He would always tell me when I was younger to seize the opportunity when ever one came up, because who knows how long it will be around."

"Sounds like a smart man."

"He was. I think I'm going to start taking his advice."

"And what opportunity will you be seizing?"

"Well, the first one is to go back to sleep since it's Saturday. So lay back down and go back to sleep," Kendall said and I gave him a look.

"Is that the best idea? I can just go home."

"Nope," he said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down. "You're staying right here."

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it! REVIEW &amp; let me know what you thought. You know, with the amount of people who've looked at the story - I'd have about 300 reviews lol. <strong>

**I'm gonna do what I used to do on my old stories & send PREVIEWS of the next chapter. That's right, if you want a little taste of the next chapter before next week - then review ;)**

**Have a Happy Thanksgiving ! :D**


	4. Chapter Four: November II

**Ah, I'm sorry. I haven't updated this in so long. I got caught up with school & other things, then I started writing some other stuff. I really want to finish this story though because I like it, and I won't rush through it either to get an ending out because I HATE it when author's do that. So, bear with me :)**

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><p>"Make good decisions for Thanksgiving Eve!" our favorite religion teacher told us before the bell rang, signaling the beginning of Thanksgiving break, and our favorite holiday – Thanksgiving Eve.<p>

"Good decisions go out the window the moment I step out of this building," Camille said as we walked toward her car.

"Good decisions went out the window when you tackled a girl over a shirt on Black Friday shopping," Stephanie said.

"I was 10, and that shirt would have made her look like a cow. I was saving her from a fashion disaster."

"Where are we going tonight?" Carlos asked, changing the subject. We were all going back to my house to figure out our plans for tonight, since it is the biggest party night of the year.

"Epic," James and Camille said at the same time.

"Why don't we just stay in and play Pictionary?" Logan suggested, which earned a dirty look from all of us.

"Or we can go to Epic and watch Jo embarrass herself again," Kendall said. I glared at him before punching him in the gut. "Ow!"

"I'll puke on you this time."

"You're such a bitch," he said as he put me in a headlock. I tried smacking him away, but it didn't work. Our friends, who were laughing at the two of us, suddenly became quiet and Kendall's grip loosened when someone's throat cleared.

"Kendall," I heard a nasty voice said. When I stood up and turned around, I saw Mercedes.

"Oh, I thought it got a bit chillier," I said and rolled my eyes at the girl.

"What's up, Mercedes," Kendall said, kissing her quickly on the cheek.

"You're coming to Epic with me and my friends tonight, right?" she asked as she gestured toward the girls standing next to her.

"Uh, I was planning on going there with _my_ friends and I figured we'd just meet each other there."

"No," she said and stomped her foot. "You're supposed to come with me."

"Uh-oh," Carlos said quietly, leaning toward me to whisper in my ear. "I think this is going to be good for us, but bad for Kendall."

"Why am I supposed to go with you?" Kendall asked.

"Because you're my boyfriend!"

"Poor kid," I said and laughed.

"What was that, Taylor?" Mercedes said and glared at me.

"I said poor kid. I'm sure you heard me correctly; you just wanted to see if I would take back what I said," I told her and smiled widely at her.

"I-I," she stuttered before she regained her composure. "You're just jealous I finally got Kendall."

"Oh yes, so jealous, you caught me. I spend my nights staring out my windows wishing I could be with him," I said sarcastically. "He'll meet you at Epic tonight. End of discussion."

"Thank you," Kendall said before walking away from Mercedes.

Camille and Stephanie came by my house to get ready for the club since the boys were at Kendall's and we were all taking a cab together. Stephanie was lying on my bed, flipping through a magazine as Camille was straightening my hair in my bathroom.

"Jo, plan on getting white girl wasted again this year?" Stephanie asked while laughing.

"Well, when you put it like that," I said and laughed.

"Let's just make sure the throw up ends up in the toilet this time," Camille said. The doorbell rang and Stephanie went up to get it, since she was already ready. "Tonight's going to be interesting."

"That's for sure," I said as I heard my front door slam followed by a loud cheer.

"Party at the Taylor residence!" I heard James yell and Carlos began to cheer even louder.

"Better get downstairs before things are broken," I said.

I got up from the stool and grabbed my favorite black heels with the rhinestone-covered heels from the foot of my bed. I was wearing a short, black bandage skirt and a ruffle-y, white tank top.

"Jo, I'll pay for that," I heard Carlos say as I reached the bottom step. "It's only a plate."

"God, Carlos you're a disaster," I said as I picked up the broken plate and Logan swept up the smaller pieces. "Listen everyone. We can drink, as long as nothing else breaks. Got it?"

"Got it," everyone said.

"Good, let the party begin."

I walked over to Kendall, who was sitting on one of the stools in my kitchen.

"So, you could have invited Mercedes to come with us," I said, and he gave me a strange look. "I mean, she's your girlfriend and I'm supposed to be your best friend so I'll suck it up and deal with the bitch for you."

"Thanks, but I didn't want her to come with us," Kendall said as he took a sip of his beer. "She's too all over me. I just wanted to chill with my friends without having to deal with her."

"You're such a caring boyfriend," I said sarcastically and laughed. "If you were my boyfriend and you pulled this shit, I'd kick your ass."

"If I was your boyfriend, I wouldn't be pulling this shit," Kendall said and I felt my eyes widen in shock at what he said. "Besides, you told her I was going with you guys."

"Because it was in the heat of the moment, I don't like her," I said and shrugged.

"Cabs are here!" Carlos yelled out and Kendall helped me off the stool as we all walked into the cab.

By the time we reached Epic, we were already tipsy. Kendall helped me keep my balance as we walked into the club together through the VIP access.

"Kendall, you're my best friend," I said as I hugged him. I heard him chuckle as he helped me take off my coat so I could check it.

"You're my best friend too, Jo."

"Let's get another drink!" I said excitedly. We walked over to the bar together, where Kendall ordered us shots.

"You can't get me drunk and take advantage of me, you know," I said after we took the first shot. "You have a girlfriend."

"Yeah, yeah," he said and waved me off. "Just keep drinking. I wanna see you throw up on someone."

"You're not funny, Knight."

"You know I am."

After three more shots with Kendall and two more drinks, I was extremely buzzed. I was dancing on the table in our VIP area that we bought as Camille and Logan were making out in the corner and Stephanie and Carlos were dancing. James was on the prowl on the dance floor, and Kendall was sitting on the couch.

"Jo, get off the table before you fall," he said as he pulled on my leg. "Your legs are so smooth."

"I shaved them," I said stupidly as I climbed off the table and onto the couch. "Let's dance!"

"What if Mercedes comes?"

"She won't be here until like two in the morning. It's still early," I said as I stood up and pulled on Kendall's arm. "Come dance with me," I whined.

"Fine," he said.

We walked down to the dance floor together and squeezed ourselves between the crowd of people. He grabbed my hips and brought my back against his chest. We danced to the rhythm of the music, my behind grinding against his groin. I'm sure if people didn't know us, they would have thought we were together and not just two best friends who were completely trashed.

After dancing for a while, I was sweating and I couldn't feel my legs. Kendall helped me as I stumbled up the stairs on our way back to the VIP area. He sat down and I fell down on top of him, and ended up straddling him.

"You're my best friend," I said sleepily as I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder.

"You're mine too," he said as I felt him stroke my hair. "You'll always be the most important girl in my life."

"Besides your mom and Katie."

"Yes," he chuckled. "Just rest, Jo. I got you."

"What the _hell _is going on here?" I heard a loud voice yell, and suddenly I was thrown onto the floor.

"Mercedes, it's not what it looks like," Kendall said calmly. He sounded more annoyed then worried that his girlfriend just caught us in a compromising position, even though nothing happened.

"Oh, so that bitch wasn't straddling you and you weren't pushing her off, instead you told her she's the most important girl in your life?"

"Besides his mom and Katie," I added, clearly not helping the situation at all.

"Okay, so it's exactly what it looks like," he said and sighed. "Look, she's drunk and someone needs to watch her."

"She'll be fine here by herself. I'm here now, you're staying with me," Mercedes said.

"No, I'm her best friend and I'm sorry but she comes first. I'm going to take her home," he said before picking me up and carrying me bridal style out of the club.

"I think I got too white girl wasted," I mumbled to Kendall's chest as we waited for a cab. The bouncers called one for us right away, since they found it sweet Kendall was doing the right thing.

"I think so too. Just rest," he said and kissed my forehead before I fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up in what I thought was my bed, until I saw all the boy stuff around the room.

"What happened last night?" I asked as I sat up slowly, trying to keep my head from pounding harder than it already was. Kendall, being Kendall, already had aspirin and water on the bedside table for me.

"Typical Jo Taylor Thanksgiving Eve," he said and laughed.

"One year, I will come home sober and remember everything."

"Yeah, okay," he scoffed. "Last night Mercedes showed up when you were on top of me."

"On top of you? Doing what exactly?"

"Oh, you know," he said trailing off.

"I'd hit you if I didn't think I'd throw up."

"You were just resting, nothing happened. Scouts honor."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this one from your bitch of a girlfriend," I said as I slowly got out of his bed. "Thank you for last night, Kendall. I don't know what I did to deserve you as my best friend."

"Not sure what you did either," he said and smirked. "You're going by Logan's for Thanksgiving later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there."

I quietly left Kendall's house and snuck into my own. I walked up my stairs and crashed on my bed. I didn't wake up again until it was two in the afternoon and my mom was knocking on my door.

"Sweetie, are you awake yet?"

"Somewhat," I said as I sat up, headache finally gone.

"We're leaving by four to go to the Mitchell's house for dinner."

"I'll be ready."

As I let my hair straightener heat up, I grabbed my phone and saw the amount of text messages I had. I opened one from Camille that asked how I was feeling, Stephanie's text was the same. I scrolled down a bit further and saw the mass text that got sent to me by Kendall. I opened it and almost dropped my phone.

'_We're in deep shit,_' Kendall had written under a picture of the two of us from last night. I was on top of him and his hands were resting dangerously close to my bottom. I groaned as I placed my head in my hands, the idea of all the problems that that one picture was going to cause was not helping my hangover.

"Jo! Are you almost ready to leave?" my mom called up the stairs, causing me to jump.

"Five more minutes!" I said as I ran the straightener through my hair quickly. I looked at my outfit in the mirror – leggings with heels and a giant sweater – before running into my bedroom to grab my purse and head downstairs.

"The Taylor's are here!" Mrs. Mitchell exclaimed as she opened the door for us and let us in. "So good to see you."

"You too," I said and forced a smile on my face as I scanned the room for Kendall.

"They're in the living room," she told me and I all but ran in.

"We need to talk," I said to Kendall as I pulled him off the couch and we went into the bathroom for privacy. I took out my phone and opened the picture. "What are we gonna do? I'm going to look like the school whore because I'm the reason you left Mercedes that night."

"Don't worry about it. Everyone knows how much of a lightweight you are. You fell, which you did, and you were about to get up when Mercedes came over. She just had bad timing."

"Kendall," I sighed as I looked up at him. He placed his hands on my shoulders and kissed my forehead gently.

"No one's going to talk about you, I promise. I meant what I said, you're the most important girl in my life, Jo."

"Behind your mom and Katie," I said and smiled as I hugged him.

"I think it's a three-way tie," I heard him whisper.

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><p><strong><strong>**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have some of the next done, I just have to re-read it because I don't remember exactly what I wrote lol.**

**If anyone here reads Harry Potter & Harry Potter fanfiction, check out my story Inconclusive. That's my main project right now, I really love the story. Read it & let me know what you thought :)**

**Leave some reviews and let me know what you thought about this chapter :D**


	5. Chapter Five: December I

**Here's a new update :D Hope you like it!**

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><p><strong>December<strong>

Kendall and Mercedes' relationship lasted for a little over a month. The day they broke up was a disaster.

_"You're breaking up with me?" I heard a shrill voice shriek down the hallway. I started walking toward the commotion and then I wished I hadn't because it was Kendall and Mercedes._

_ "Yeah," he said coolly._

_ "You can't break up with me!"_

_ "I think I just did," he said. I had gone to walk away, but I walked right into someone and fell back on my butt. Kendall went to go help me up, and that set Mercedes off._

_ "It's because of her, isn't it?" she yelled and everyone went quiet. I turned bright red and tried to walk away, but everyone was crowding around us and I started to feel extremely claustrophobic. "It's her fault! She's been out to sabotage our relationship since the beginning!"_

_ "Don't talk about her like that," Kendall yelled and I had never seen him so angry, except for when I told him about Jett._

_ "I haven't been trying to ruin your relationship. If I were, you would know. Kendall has been trying to make it work by picking you up all the time, spending all his time with you. He's allowed to have friends, you know," I said, defending myself._

_ "It was always more than friends for you two," she said coldly._

_ "We've lived next door to each other for the past seven years, we're going to be close. I don't see the problem," I said._

_ "She's not why I'm breaking up with you Mercedes, so don't pin it on her. You're a self-absorbed bitch and I'm tired of listening to you. Plain and simple," Kendall told her, and with that he walked away._

That was the beginning of the month, and it was now a week before Christmas break, and the school was decorated for the holidays. Everyone was excited and in the holiday spirit – everyone except me. I haven't really spoken to Kendall since he broke up with Mercedes, which was killing me since I wasn't sure what was wrong. I was heading to my Italian class, which I had with everyone, and I saw Kendall.

"Hey," I said to him and he turned to see who it was.

"Oh, hey Jo," he said. Had I not been in such shock that not only did he say 'hey', but he said my name and that that was the most conversation we've had in days, I probably would have noticed the entire class snickering and giggling as Kendall and I walked through the door together.

"What's so funny?" I said, but trailed off when my friends pointed to the ceiling. I looked up and saw the mistletoe just hanging there, and I looked at Kendall who was also staring at the evil plant.

"Seriously?" I said and looked at everyone, completely annoyed.

Had things been different between me and Kendall at the moment, we'd probably make a joke out of it, blew kisses at each other, pretended to almost make out then walk away, but of course things weren't like that anymore. Now, I had no idea what to do in this situation.

"Kiss! Kiss!" the class began to chant and I started to get nervous and I felt myself blush. I looked everywhere but at Kendall.

"They're not gonna shut up," I heard Kendall say before I felt him place his hand on my cheek and he brought his lips onto mine.

I froze initially, since this was the last thing I expected, but then began to kiss him back. I placed my hands on his waist and grabbed his t-shirt. I felt like I was lost in my own world, all I could think about was the fact that Kendall was kissing me and how I never wanted it to end. That's when it hit me – I have feelings for my best friend.

What brought me back to reality were the catcalls and whistling from my classmates. I pulled away quickly and looked at Kendall with wide eyes before I walked out of the classroom. I couldn't believe that happened. Since when do I have feelings for Kendall? It was never like that between us, even when we dated, it never felt like that when we kissed.

I was pacing back and forth in the hallway when someone came up behind me and yanked on my hair.

"What the hell?" I turned around and was face-to-face with Mercedes. _Crap_.

"What do you think you were just doing?"

"Walking?"

"You kissed my boyfriend!" she screamed, causing some teachers to close their doors and the few students in the hallways to stop and stare.

"Ex-boyfriend, and he kissed me. If you're going to have a bitch fit on anyone, it should be him."

"I knew there was something going on between the two of you. He was never as happy with me as he would be with you, and don't get me started on his mother or sister."

"Don't you dare say a word about them," I said, finally losing my temper. "They have been more than you would ever experience, you spoiled brat. Mrs. Knight is one of the best people I know and Katie is like the little sister I never had. You have some balls trying to talk down about them while you have absolutely no idea what it's like to lose a father and a husband and have to deal with that and raise a family on your own."

"Well," she went to defend herself, but I cut her off.

"No, don't speak. You are a cold-hearted bitch who cares about no one but herself and money. The only reason you're interested in Kendall is because he's popular and good-looking. I highly doubt you know what kind of person he is on the inside, because if you did, you wouldn't have even brought up his mom and sister. Those are the two most important people in his life."

"His _girlfriend_ should be the most important person in his life. Clearly I came last to everyone, including you," she remarked.

"Good, that means he has his priorities straightened out. You're a flake, Mercedes. People don't like you for who you are, they like you for your money. That's not something to be proud of."

"At least people like me for something," she said – a lame comeback.

"People like her," Camille said as she came to my side. I was so consumed in telling Mercedes off I didn't notice the crowd of people that surrounded us. "By her defending her best friend like that, I bet everyone here just gained so much more respect for her and lost whatever respect they had for you."

"You're lucky you never said that around me," Kendall said, glaring at his ex-girlfriend.

"But, Kendall," Mercedes whimpered but he wouldn't hear any of it.

"No," he shook his head before walking away.

The crowd dispersed once Mercedes ran out of the hallway and into the parking lot to her car. I tried to find Kendall, but when I did he wouldn't look at me.

The past week went by in a blur between last minute Christmas shopping and wrapping presents, and it was finally Christmas Eve. Kendall and I haven't spoken since we kissed and I told off Mercedes, and the tension has been so thick that we know something's bound to set us off into an argument. Everyone's been on edge with us because they don't know when we're going to blow up at each other.

I walked into my kitchen where my parents were cooking and my friends were helping decorate the tree. It was tradition for my family to have Christmas Eve dinner with everyone and Christmas Day was celebrated at the Knight's.

"Hey guys, what can I help with?" I said as I walked over to my friends.

"Look who decided to come downstairs," Kendall said, but I ignored him. Camille smiled at me and handed me an ornament that Kendall had given to me freshman year. He had to make Christmas ornaments in art and because his mom told him not to make anything for her again since his last "masterpiece" from school blew up because he decided to get creative and use electrical wires.

"Go talk to him," she said to me as I took it from her.

"It's pointless," I sighed. I walked over to the tree and hung the ornament on a branch. Kendall had stopped what he was doing and looked at the ornament before looking at me and walking away.

"It's going to be an interesting holiday," Camille said. I walked into my kitchen and sat on the stool by the island. My parents shared a look and gave me a smile before leaving me alone. Logan sat down in the stool next to me.

"He's confused, that's all," he said and I looked at him.

"Confused about what? Why can't he talk to me about it, he's supposed to be my best friend."

"I think it's something he doesn't know how to come to you about. I'm just going to leave it at that. He wouldn't want me telling you, and you wouldn't want me telling you either."

"How do you know what I want you to tell me?"

"Because I'm a genius, now come here," he said and opened his arms to give me a hug.

"Can you two at least try to hide it from me," Camille said and smiled at us.

"Sorry, I just want your boyfriend so badly," I said and grabbed him.

"We'll try to be more low-key about it," Logan joked.

"That's all I ask. Now come on, your parents said dinner was ready."

Dinner was going good until I asked Kendall to pass the gravy, that's when all hell broke loose.

"Ask someone else, I'm not your slave," he mumbled.

"I only asked you because it's right next to you, you ass."

"So you can't ask someone else for it. It's across from Carlos, why didn't you ask him?"

"Because I figured I'd ask my best friend for the fucking gravy, but apparently that's too much work."

"I don't understand why you come to me for everything except about the important stuff!" he yelled, standing up.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, rising to my feet as well. We were glaring at each other; the only thing separating us was the table.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I told you about that! It was hard for me, but I did. What about you, huh? 'Oh, it was just a dance.' Then you start dating the bitch and she sucks the life out of you. How was I supposed to go to you for stuff when she was always there?"

"I broke up with her for you!" If the whole dinner table wasn't silent already, they were after that.

"I didn't ask you to do that! If you were happy with her, which you clearly weren't but if you were, you should have stayed with her! I wasn't happy with Jett, I broke up with him because I realized I could only be happy with you!"

"Guess we're both left unhappy," Kendall stated as he pushed his chair in. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Merry Christmas." I watched as he walked into the foyer, opened the door, and gave one more glance back at me before leaving.

"No, he's not just running out of here," I muttered to myself as I ran after him. He was just about to walk into my house when I called out his name.

"Go back inside, Jo, it's cold," he said, sounding deflated.

"Can I just remind you, you kissed me! It wasn't the other way around, Kendall," I told him as I walked off my front porch and stood in front of him on the sidewalk.

"I know that," he said. "I was there too."

"So why are you the one being weird around me when you're the one who initiated all this!"

"I don't know."

"You regret it," I said simply. "That's fine. Merry Christmas."

"Jo, wait," he called after me as I began to walk away.

"This sucks, you know? Falling for your best friend," I told him and he looked at me with wide eyes. When he gave me no response, I turned around and walked back into my house.

"So, you still want that gravy, Jo?" Carlos asked, trying to alleviate the tension in the room.

"No, I don't think I'm hungry anymore," I said quietly.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Mrs. Taylor asked and I nodded.

"Will it be alright if I went up to my room?" I asked and my mom nodded.

"You want to talk, Jo?" Stephanie asked but I shook my head.

"I'm just gonna lay down. Sorry about that," I said and smiled at my friends and family before heading up to my room.

"I can't believe that just happened," I said to myself as I lay down on my bed. The two of us have never fought that bad before. I felt a tear slip down my cheek silently and I wiped it away. Camille and Stephanie came in to tell me they were leaving and hopefully that they'd see me tomorrow at Kendall's, and my mom came in to try to talk to me, but I told her it wasn't really a big deal.

"He cares about you sweetie, just don't push him away," she told me before she left.

I'm not sure how long I was lying down for, but I heard knocking at my window that made me sit up. I looked and saw Kendall standing by my ledge with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. I walked over to the window to open it and let him in.

"You usually just let yourself in," I said quietly as I walked back over to my bed to sit down.

"I figured I should probably be polite and knock. These are for you," he said as he handed me the flowers. "The other one is for your mom to apologize."

"So she's the only one who gets an apology?"

"I'm really sorry, Jo. For everything," he said and I nodded.

The two of us were sitting on my bed in silence, trying to make sense of what happened earlier, trying to figure out what to say.

"When you were dating Jett, I wanted to kill him," Kendall said and chuckled awkwardly. "I couldn't figure out why it was bothering me so much. Guess I should have killed him for what he did."

"When you were with Mercedes, I wanted to rip out her hair extensions," I said and blushed. "And no, you shouldn't have killed him. That would have been bad."

"So what now? We're jealous when we're with other people, but can't seem to make it work when we're together?"

"Pretty much," I said and sighed. "Do you regret kissing me? Be honest."

"It's not like we haven't done that before, Jo," he said.

"This time," I said and sighed. "Don't tell me this time didn't feel different for you, because I know it felt different for me."

"It did," he said quietly.

"So where do we go from here?"

"Well, if you're willing to try us again, I think I'd go for that," he said and smirked at me.

"I think I like that idea," I said and smiled before he leaned his lips down to kiss me. We pulled away and he reached into his pocket for something. "That better not be a condom."

"You caught me," he said and rolled his eyes. "Not ready to make sexual jokes with you yet, I still feel like I'm on thin ice."

"You are."

He pulled out a long, velvet box and handed it to me. I look at him strangely and he urged me to open it. Inside was a simple bracelet with an infinity sign in diamonds on it. My eyes widened as he took it out of the box and put it on my wrist.

"Kendall, it's beautiful," I said quietly.

"My dad gave it to my mom before he died," he told me and I looked at him, shocked.

"Kendall, I-I can't take this from your mom," I said and went to take it off, but he stopped me.

"She gave it to me after he died and told me to give it to the right girl."

"How do you know I'm the right girl?" I asked as I felt tears forming in my eyes.

"When I told her I wanted to give it to you, she lit up brighter than the Christmas tree in our living room," he said. I felt a tear fall out of my eye, but Kendall quickly wiped it away.

"We're going to make this work this time right? Because I don't think I'll be happy with anyone else," I said and laughed as I cuddled closer to him.

"Definitely. I still don't understand why it didn't work the first time though."

"We were fifteen, and stupid. We went out just so we could say we had a boyfriend or girlfriend."

"That might be true, but I could have done that with any girl. Instead I did it with you."

"Because no other girl would sit in your house and watch hockey games with you without complaining," I said and smiled at him. "I really love the bracelet, Kendall. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The next morning I woke up and saw Kendall wasn't lying next to me anymore, but a sheet of paper with my name on it took his spot.

'_Jo, I couldn't wake you because you looked so peaceful. I had to leave to help my mom get ready for Christmas dinner. See you later. Love, Kendall.'_

I smiled to myself before I got out of bed and walked downstairs to eat breakfast and open presents. My mom had already laid out all the breakfast foods on the table and I rushed over to start eating.

"Relax Jo, you'd think we don't feed you," my dad said and I laughed.

"I'm just excited, it's Christmas!"

"Drastic change from last night," he mumbled, earning a stern look from my mom who probably told him not to mention it.

"That's a beautiful bracelet, sweetheart. Where'd you get it?" my mom asked.

"Kendall gave it to me last night," I said as I admired it.

"When? I don't remember words being exchanged that would lead to a gift like that," my dad said.

"He stopped by and we talked things out. This was his mom's."

"I'm so happy for the two of you," my mom said. "Now eat before we open presents.

Ten minutes later, as I was going on my fourth piece of French toast, my dad thought of something.

"How did Kendall get in if I don't remember hearing the doorbell last night?"

"He, uh," I stammered as my mom tried not to laugh. "Climbed through my window?"

"Resourceful kid," he said and shrugged before going back to reading the newspaper.

"Right," I said and glanced over at her mom who was just smiling as she started making the brownies she was bringing over to the Knight's later.

"So are you two dating now, seeing how he sneaks through your window and gave you his mom's bracelet?" my mom asked.

"I think so," I said, smiling to myself. "But I think this time we'll make it work. Not like last time when we went out for the hell of it."

"At least I don't need to worry about trying to scare the crap out of him."

"Why is that?" I asked warily.

"I live right next door. If anything happens, I'll just climb through his window," my dad said and smiled before getting up from the table. He put his dishes in the sink and turned to face me. "Ready to open presents?"

"When am I not?" I asked and ran to the living room.

After opening all my presents, which I was very pleased to see I got everything I wanted, a benefit of being an only child, Mom wrapped the brownies up and Dad placed the presents for everyone in shopping bags. I got changed into a navy blue, long strapless shirt and black leggings. I grabbed my favorite navy heels and black peacoat before heading downstairs.

"Ready to go?" my mom asked as she walked to the door. I nodded and walked out the open door and to the house next door. I just walked right into Kendall's house without ringing the doorbell, something that's normal for me.

"Josephine!" my mother hissed my name. "It's not polite to just walk into someone's home."

"It's just Kendall's house, Mom. Relax," I rolled my eyes as I walked into the kitchen where I knew I'd find Mrs. Knight. "Hi!"

"Jo, sweetheart!" she said and gave me a huge hug. "I'm so happy for you and Kendall."

"Thank you," I said and smiled at her. She glanced down at my wrist and I saw some tears form in her eyes. "It's so beautiful. I didn't want to take it from him."

"If anyone's supposed to have it, it's you," she said and hugged me again before telling me everyone was in the game room.

"Merry Christmas," I said as I walked in. Carlos and James were playing the Xbox while Logan and Kendall were playing air hockey, and Camille and Stephanie were sitting on the couch talking.

"Merry Christmas," they all said. Kendall flashed me a smile before he went back to his game against Logan. I sat next to Stephanie and Camille, who gave me a huge smile.

"Kendall told Logan who told me that you two are back on speaking terms," she said slyly.

"You could say that," I told her.

"Spill! I want details," she said excitedly. I told the two of them what happened last night.

"Stop, that's so cute," Steph said and grabbed my wrist to look at the bracelet. "And this is absolutely gorgeous."

"I love it," I said.

"Jo, you haven't stopped smiling since you sat down. I'm so happy for you," Camille said.

"I didn't even feel this happy when Jett first asked me out. Then he turned into a douche bag, so it all worked out."

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Knight called from the dining room. Everyone got up, leaving Kendall and I alone.

"Merry Christmas," he said as he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Merry Christmas," I said.

"We are dating, right?" he asked.

"No, I still hate you," I said sarcastically while rolling my eyes. "Of course we are."

"Just wanted to make sure I didn't imagine last night."

"No, it happened. You're stuck with me, good luck," I said and laugh.

"Dating you will probably be a walk in the park compared to dating Mercedes."

"Oh really, and why is that?"

"Everyone thought we were dating to begin with, so we were obviously doing something right."

"Nothing's going to change, right? I don't want to lose my best friend," I asked.

"Nothing. We'll just be able to do more than what we were already doing," he said and waggled his eyebrows at me, causing me to laugh.

"And what exactly do you think we're going to be doing?"

"Oh you know," he said suggestively as he pulled me closer to him. "I can actually take advantage of you in the middle of the night," he whispered in my ear, causing me to laugh.

"Are you two coming or what? Carlos is about to eat everything on the table!" James said as he came into the game room.

"Way to ruin the moment, James," Kendall grumbled as he let go of me.

"There was no moment," I said and smiled. "Let's go eat."

"Am I going to walk in on the two of you doing inappropriate things anytime soon?" James asked.

"Why, are you going to be opening random doors, waiting to find something?"

"Possibly," he said and grinned.

"Pervert," I said and laughed as the three of us sat down at the table.

Kendall grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it gently. I looked up at him and kissed his cheek lightly. I saw my mom and Kendall's mom smiling at the two of us before continuing the conversation they were having.

"I think they're planning our wedding already," Kendall whispered in my ear and I nodded.

"Knowing them, they're naming our children too."

"Why's your dad giving me a strange look?"

"Oh, he finally realized you climb through my window all the time," I said and shrugged.

* * *

><p><strong>A little longer than usual, but I couldn't figure out how to split the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day part, which was what I was planning to do. Hope you enjoyed it, leave a review and let me know what you thought :)<strong>


	6. Chapter Six: December II

**So this has taken a while to get out. It's been written, I just needed an ending. Hopefully you all enjoy it.**

* * *

><p>"Last weekend of break!" Camille shouted as she walked into my room and plopped down onto my bed.<p>

"What's going on with James' party tonight? Is it happening or no?" I asked as I walked out of my bathroom, wrapped in a towel and combing my hair.

"It's supposed to be," Stephanie said as she twirled around in my computer chair. "Carlos keeps saying him and James are gonna be the 'Hollywood Super Party Kings of Hollywood.'"

"Why did they say Hollywood twice?" Camille asked.

"We don't even live in Hollywood, what is wrong with them?" I said.

"I don't question these things, I just go along with it. Makes it so much simpler," Stephanie said and shrugged.

"That is true. Anyway, back to what I was asking, we're going to James' tonight regardless?"

"Yeah, all the alcohol is there anyway. It's either going to be a huge party or just us."

"Works for me either way."

"So, Jo, you ready for everyone to know you and Kendall are finally together?" Camille asked as she flipped through a magazine.

"I don't know," I sighed. "I'm worried about all the drunk girls who are going to be pissed that Kendall's off the market."

"No one went after Mercedes," Camille stated.

"Because she's psycho. She's another one I'm going to have to deal with."

"Everyone's going to be too drunk to notice anything different anyway, I wouldn't worry so much," Stephanie said.

There was a knock at the door and the three girls turned their head at the sound. I tightened my towel around myself before I opened the door.

"Since when do you come in my room through my door?" I asked Kendall, who was smirking at me as his eyes grazed up and down my body.

"We'll see you two at James' later," Camille said and winked as she grabbed Steph by the hand and pulled her out of the room.

"You're always in a towel when I come over, are you trying to kill me?" Kendall asked as he sat down on my bed. I rolled my eyes as I opened my drawers and grabbed some clothes to put on. "Oh, please don't get dressed just because I showed up."

"I swear Kendall, one day you're going to walk in and I'll be naked," I said as I walked into the bathroom and shut the door to get changed.

"And that'll be the luckiest day of my life," he shouted so I could hear him through the door. I walked out dressed and Kendall looked slightly disappointed. "You know, I really preferred the towel look on you."

"You're such an idiot," I said and laughed as I sat down on my bed next to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me down so I lay next to him.

"Ready for tonight?"

"Should be fun. I'm trying to figure out how to get out of cleaning again this time around," I said and smiled.

"That puke in the tub on Halloween was gross," Kendall said and made a face. "You got to sleep as the rest of us slaved away cleaning God knows what off the floors, the walls, and the sinks."

"If I recall correctly, you ran back into the room after an hour and came back into bed with me."

"I just missed you so much," he said, causing me to laugh. "I told James I had a girl waiting in bed for me to come back, and James would never cock-block anyone so I was free to go."

"So you lied to get out of cleaning? Nicely done."

"Technically I didn't lie, there was a girl waiting in bed for me," he said and pulled me closer to him.

"I wouldn't say I was waiting exactly," I said and smiled a little.

"You know, I've never seen you so happy before," Kendall whispered in my ear. I turned around in his arms so I could face him.

"Because I don't think I've been this happy before," I said, feeling my cheeks heat up. "Don't get a big head over that one."

"No, I'm just happy I can put that smile on your face," he said and kissed my forehead gently. "I hope I can keep it there."

"As long as you're my best friend, it will be," I said and kissed him sweetly.

Kendall's phone vibrated, causing us to break away and ending the sweet moment we were having.

"James wants us at his house now so we can help set up," Kendall told me.

"Now? I'm not ready."

"Just wear what you're wearing."

"First, you know Camille will kill me if I showed up in sweatpants. Second, it's New Year's Eve, I wanna get dressed up. This will be my first New Year's kiss."

"Weren't you with Jett for New Year's last year?" Kendall asked and I shook my head 'no'. "Well, then it will be my honor to be your New Year's kiss. As long as you don't dip before midnight like you did on Halloween."

"Don't find some other girl to dance with and I'll stick around," I said cheekily as I got up and looked through my closet to find a dress to wear.

"So you were jealous that night," Kendall said as he propped himself up on his elbow.

"No, more like bored. I was getting hit on by that creep Tyler, and everyone else was busy."

"It wasn't like it was just us there. Everyone from school and then some were at James' house, you could have found someone to hang out with. Just admit it, you were jealous."

"Stop, I wasn't," I said and threw a stuffed animal at him that I found on the floor. "It's not like I really hang out with anyone else besides you guys. Do you know how difficult it is to be a wheel?"

"I didn't have a girlfriend when you were with Jett," he said and his eyes widened as I began to get changed. "Changed your mind about getting changed in front of me?"

"You're a guy. It's easier for you to find a girl to hang out with. It's not that easy for me," I said as I went to reach for the zipper on my dress but couldn't. "You've seen me in a bathing suit, a bra and underwear are like the same thing."

"They're so much hotter," Kendall said as he got off my bed and stood behind me to zip up my dress. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. "Tonight, you're the only girl I'll be with."

"Good, because if I wasn't, I'd kick your ass," I said and turned around in his arms to kiss him.

"Ready to go?" Kendall asked when we pulled away.

"Are we staying there tonight definitely?" I asked and Kendall nodded. "Gotta grab clothes for tomorrow then."

"Guess we'll be here for another hour," Kendall sighed as he sat back down on my bed. I flipped him off and began to throw clothes into the duffle bag that was lying on my floor.

"Look, I'm done. Don't think that took an hour," I said and rolled my eyes as I placed the bag on my shoulder. "Ready?"

"Let's go," Kendall said as he took the bag from me and grabbed my hand.

* * *

><p>"Looks like the party already started," Kendall said as we pulled in James' garage.<p>

"And you were complaining how long I took, while I got us out of doing set-up duty."

"I take it back," he said and kissed me.

"Are we ready for everyone to know tonight that we're together?" I asked, closing my eyes out of nervousness.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone's going to be drunk. Mercedes is here; we both know she'll be trashed. A sober Mercedes is bad enough, I don't know if I can deal with a drunk one saying I stole you away from her. She might be out for blood."

"So, what do we do?"

"Act like we're not a couple, maybe? I don't know," I sighed as I leaned against his car. He walked closer to me and trapped me between him and the car with his arms. "I just want to have a good time tonight and not have to worry about crazy bitches. I'll deal with them in school, just not tonight."

"Understandable," he nodded. "Tonight I'll be just your best friend who's your date for the night."

"I'm not embarrassed to be with you," I said as I fixed his collar and then placed my hands on his chest. "I can't wait to go into school and let everyone know we're together. I'm just scared half of these girls will go ape shit on me tonight."

"Everyone's assumed we've been together though."

"It's one thing to assume, because you're not entirely sure. It's another for it to be real and realize you lost the chance to be with someone."

"Let's just have a good time tonight and worry about everyone else another day, okay?" Kendall said and I nodded. He kissed me softly and held my hand as we walked into James' house.

"You better have gotten lucky Kendall for not being here," Carlos said and James nodded in agreement. "Did you?"

"Oh yeah, he did," I said and winked. "He got to see me in a towel and my bra and underwear, that's the luckiest he's ever gotten."

"Thanks Jo, ruin my reputation with the guys," Kendall said and rolled his eyes and then smiled. "Princess over here took hours to figure out what to wear and then what to pack overnight."

"I did not take hours!" I said and pouted. "What room am I sleeping in and what rooms should I avoid?"

"The room you stayed in on Halloween in for you two. You want me to bring your bag up?" James offered but I shook my head 'no'.

"I got it, thanks though," I smiled and grabbed Kendall's hand. "Let's go!"

"Why do I have to come upstairs with you?"

"Because you're my boyfriend," I said as we reached the second floor.

I knocked on the door to the room before walking in, because you never know what you're going to find. I dropped my bag on the bed and turned to face Kendall.

"Ready to go down there?" Kendall asked and I nodded. "I mean, if you're unsure I'm _sure _we can find something to do up here."

"Very funny," I said as I pushed him away. "We _just_ started dating, none of that yet."

"So I can expect some in the future?"

"At the rate you're going, no," I said and smiled. "Now come on, before all the drinks are gone."

Kendall and I walked downstairs and joined the party. We walked into the kitchen to get a drink and saw Camille, Logan, Stephanie, and Carlos in there already.

"So, don't freak out," Camille said slowly as she handed me a cup she filled for me. "Jett's here."

"What? He's supposed to be at his dad's from now on!"

"Not anymore apparently. He wasn't happy in the school in Michigan, so he moved back here to Minnesota and he's gonna finish out his semester with us."

"That's awful," I sighed. "There wasn't another relative willing to take him in? Like maybe a distant cousin who loves in Arizona, far away from here?"

"Guess not," Camille said and smiled at me reassuringly.

"If he bothers you, I'll kick him out," James said and I grinned.

"You're the best," I said and hugged him.

"Jo, I know you're attracted to me, but you're with my best friend. I can't do that to Kendall," James said and then lowered his voice to add, "Not while he's around anyway."

"Haha, in your dreams, James," I said and shoved him a little.

"Dream about another girl, this one's mine," Kendall said and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest.

"Stop being so cute together, it's nauseating," Stephanie said and laughed, but suddenly stopped. "Oh no, Jett's coming over here."

"Hide me," I said frantically, but it was too late.

"Jo! I thought that was you, when did you get here?" Jett said as he walked over to us and said 'hi' to everyone.

"Few minutes ago. I thought you were in Michigan, what happened?"

"I realized that leaving everything I cared about behind here was a mistake. I missed you," he said, going to reach for my hands but I placed them behind my back. Kendall, who was standing behind me, squeezed my hand gently for reassurance.

"I can't really say the same, to be honest."

"Listen, I know we ended things badly, but can't we work past that? Why don't you come dance with me?"

"I'm with Kendall," I told him and grabbed Kendall's hand tighter to make sure he didn't go anywhere.

"I'm sure there's a girl he'll want to go find somewhere," Jett said. "You two don't need to stay together the whole night."

"No, there's no other girl I'd rather be with," Kendall said as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and pulled me closer to him.

"Okay, well," Jett said awkwardly. "I'll be over there if you change your mind."

"Bye," I said and waved as he walked away. I turned to face Kendall and looked up at him. "Now you really can't leave me. Jett might sneak up behind me and lock me away somewhere."

"I wouldn't go _that _far," he said and I gave him a look. "But clearly you would. Don't worry, I'm right here."

"Good, and you better stay right here, next to me."

"Like I said, no where else I'd rather be," he said and pressed his lips against my temple. "Just forget he's here and let's have fun."

"Okay," I nodded.

* * *

><p>Having fun was easier said than done. Jett was always close by, always watching Kendall and I. No matter how many times Kendall told me to relax, I was on edge. Eventually, he brought me up to our room and sat me down on the bed.<p>

"You're no fun tonight," he said as he sat down next to me.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "Seeing Jett here just really threw me."

"I know. Do you wanna stay up here for the rest of the night or go back down?"

"No, I refuse to let him ruin our first New Years," I said as I stood up and pulled him with me. "Besides, it's almost midnight."

"Lead the way," he said with a smile as we walked back downstairs and rejoined the party.

We sat down on the couch and watched as everyone drunkenly stumbled around James' house, laughing and getting enjoyment out of the scene in front of us. I was finally feeling better about Jett's sudden reappearance and nothing was going to ruin the rest of my night, not even Mercedes who was staring at Kendall and I.

"Looks like it's almost midnight," Kendall said as everyone began the countdown. "Ready for the new year?"

"Yeah, I think so," I said as I smiled up at him. When everyone reached one, Kendall reached down and placed his hand on my cheek as he kissed him.

"Oh my God, they're kissing!"

"So called that."

"What the actual fuck," Mercedes said. Jett just stared at them dumbfounded.

"Looks like everyone knows," Kendall whispered as they pulled apart.

"Good," I smiled as I pulled him back in for another kiss.


End file.
